The awards "pay tribute to individuals who've made indelible contributions in their respective fields," said Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

The honorary awards are given out every year in recognition of "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy".

Boone, who phoned all four recipients individually to inform them of the forthcoming honour, called Martin, 68, "a real Renaissance Man" and deemed 87-year-old Lansbury "one of the finest actresses in our industry".

Lansbury received three Oscar nominations over the course of her career, for her work in Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray and 1962's The Manchurian Candidate, but never won the award.

Film buffs have reportedly been lobbying the Academy to recognise Lansbury for some time

A gifted stage actress, she also has five Tonys to her name and became a household name in the long-running TV series Murder, She Wrote?.

Writer, actor and comedian Martin remains best known for his early hits such as 1979's The Jerk and Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

He has never been nominated for an Oscar, though he has hosted the award ceremony on three occasions.

Tosi becomes the first costume designer to receive an honorary Oscar.

The 86-year-old Italian has been Oscar-nominated five times, and remains best known in his field for his work on Luchino Visconti's films The Leopard, Death in Venice and Ludwig.

Jolie, the youngest of the four recipients, won an Oscar in 2000 for her career-defining turn in Girl, Interrupted, and was subsequently nominated in 2009, for The Changeling.

Actor Martin is also known for his writing and his banjo-playing

A long-serving goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, she became a special envoy for the organisation in 2012.

The role has taken her to refugee camps in more than 30 countries, including Sierra Leone, Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

"Her support of humanitarian causes are really to be greatly admired," she added.

It has also been announced that Fifth Estate star Benedict Cumberbatch will be named British Artist of the Year at the Bafta Los Angeles' Britannia Awards on 9 November.

As well as playing Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate, Cumberbatch also starred in Star Trek Into Darkness earlier this summer and will play opposite Meryl Streep in the Oscar-tipped August: Osage Country and returns in the forthcoming Hobbit sequels.

Previous British stars to receive the honour include Daniel Craig, Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton.